Chapter 11: A Partnership for Mutual Success

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“Tofu?” Zhang Qi took the tofu sheets from him, first holding them beneath his nose to smell them, then tearing off a piece and putting it into his mouth.

He chewed thoughtfully. It tasted nothing like tofu.

But something this thin could only have been made by pressing it beneath a heavy weight; he could think of no other method.

“Qin Jin bought sixty copper coins’ worth of tofu pudding yesterday, and a hundred and twenty today. Looks like these tofu sheets are selling well,” Shen Yucheng added.

Zhang Qi looked at him. “They taste different from tofu. If I were him, I’d want to buy some and try them too.”

Shen Yucheng raised an eyebrow. “So, are you going to sell him the tofu sheets or not? They’re very simple to make.”

Zhang Qi continued chewing, saying nothing.

The price had doubled in only one day, and the tofu sheets seemed even more popular than tofu.

The method was the same as making tofu. They could simply make them while preparing the tofu.

But doing so would certainly offend Qin Jin. After all, Qin Jin had been the one to come up with this food.

Since Qin Jin could make tofu sheets, he would surely be able to make tofu from tofu pudding as well.

The crucial question was whether Qin Jin knew how to make tofu pudding.

If he did not, then as long as Zhang Qi stopped selling it to him, Qin Jin would be unable to make tofu sheets, and the business would fall entirely into Zhang Qi’s hands.

The moment this thought arose, a small flame sprang to life in Zhang Qi’s heart. At the very least, the money his family earned could double!

But if he did that, his reputation would be ruined.

Besides, there were tofu sellers in the county town too. Qin Jin could simply buy tofu pudding there. The county town was so close that buying it there would make little difference from buying it at their home.

Moreover, Qin Jin had recently turned over a new leaf and had already come up with two foods—pea cakes and tofu sheets. Who knew whether he also knew how to make tofu? If he did, he might buy a stone mill and compete directly with their family. Their very foundation would be destroyed.

And there were only so many people in his family. If they had to make tofu as well as tofu sheets, then even if they worked without eating or sleeping, the amount they could produce in a day would still be limited.

“Stop thinking about it. We should just honestly sell him the tofu pudding.”

Shen Yucheng’s voice broke through Zhang Qi’s thoughts.

Zhang Qi looked up at him. Shen Yucheng sighed. “Qin Jin came up with this business. If we snatched it away from him, people would curse us behind our backs.”

“Besides, he can always go to the county town to buy tofu pudding and make the sheets himself.”

“There’s no need for this. We should simply continue selling him tofu pudding. He earns more, and we earn more. We’re all neighbors from the same village. It’s better to live together peacefully.”

With such a profitable business right before them, who could possibly remain unmoved?

But the risks were too great. They might well lose more than they gained. Rather than take that chance, it was better to earn money steadily and safely. Even if they only sold tofu pudding, their family could still make several dozen, perhaps even a hundred, extra copper coins each day.

Accumulated over time, that would still amount to a considerable sum.

“You’re right.” Zhang Qi nodded.

The moment he did, his heart felt much lighter. He smiled. “I hope he buys two hundred copper coins’ worth of tofu pudding tomorrow.”

“Then we’ll work ourselves to death,” Shen Yucheng said with a smile.

Tofu pudding was not easy to make either. They had to grind the soybeans into milk and set it into tofu. If Qin Jin truly began buying more and more, their family would have to work very hard.

Thinking of this, Shen Yucheng felt even more foolish for his earlier thoughts.

He had been focused only on snatching the business, while overlooking the fact that his family had limited manpower, limited ability, and limited cooking equipment. Now that he considered it carefully, the tofu-sheet business could only be handled by Qin Jin. Their family could not afford to get involved.

“From now on, give Qin Jin a discount. One copper coin off for every ten pounds. What do you think?” he asked Zhang Qi.

“Fine. We’ll do as you say.”

The couple exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat embarrassed. Their greed had clouded their judgment. They had truly been out of their senses just now.

After Qin Jin returned home, he went to find Old Qin and asked him to weave several baskets. He would be making a great many tofu sheets in the future, and the baskets at home were no longer enough.

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He was not worried that Zhang Qi and his husband might have ulterior motives. At present, he could not afford to buy a stone mill himself, but if the couple truly lost sight of reason, he could gather the strength of the entire Qin family to make tofu and strike at the root of their business.

He was not afraid of competing with the Zhang family. He knew how to make many kinds of soybean products. If they went head-to-head, the Zhang family would never be able to beat him.

He was determined to continue in the soybean-product business. Having Old Qin weave some baskets in advance would certainly come in handy.

Old Qin readily agreed. He even gave up his afternoon nap and immediately took a sickle up the mountain to cut branches.

His fourth son was willing to work hard and make something of himself, and that alone filled him with boundless energy.

Back when the family had divided their property, Qin Jin had been the only unmarried one among the four brothers, so all the household implements had been apportioned to the three older sons first. Qin Jin had been left short of everything.

Pots, bowls, ladles, and basins had all been acquired for him little by little.

Now that he wanted to start a business, there was not much his father could do to help. He could only provide baskets and hampers.

The things Qin Jin carried out every day had to be woven neatly and beautifully. His father could not allow them to bring him any shame.

When Qin Jin arrived home, Ye Miao was sitting by the doorway of the main room, embroidering a handkerchief. Somewhat surprised, he walked over and asked, “Didn’t you say you disliked embroidery?”

“I disliked it before. Now I like it.” Ye Miao looked up at him with a smile.

“Why?”

“Before, I was forced to embroider. Now I embroider because I want to.”

Without the pressure of making a living, he could pick up a needle and thread without anxiety. Stitch by stitch, as the pattern took shape, he felt not only pleasure but also a little pride.

This was the skill that had allowed him to survive and establish himself, and he was far more accomplished than ordinary embroiderers.

But he was too embarrassed to tell Qin Jin such thoughts. He merely said, “I’ll embroider a little. It won’t tire me out, and I can at least earn a few copper coins.”

Qin Jin thought for a moment, then nodded. “As long as you know your own limits.”

That made sense.

Although he had told his young husband long ago that he could freely take money from the cash box, Ye Miao had not touched a single coin in the past several days.

He had even taken out his dowry money to buy chicks.

If he wanted to embroider a few stitches now and save some private money, that was fine too.

Once their debts were repaid, Qin Jin would be sure to make up the dowry money many times over.

“You embroider. I’m going to wash some wheat and corn. Once they’re dry, I’ll grind them into flour.” As he spoke, he headed toward the room on the west side.

There were three main rooms. The central room was used to receive guests, the one on the right was the couple’s bedroom, and the one on the left was used to store grain.

The moment Ye Miao heard him, he said, “Brother Jin, go back to the room and rest. I’ll wash them.”

“It’s fine. I’ll do it.”

Qin Jin shook his head.

Grain was heavy. How could he let his young husband carry it to the old family courtyard for washing? Such hard labor was for him to handle.

Qin Jin did not want Ye Miao to lift a hand, but Ye Miao could not possibly stand by and watch. He insisted on following him to the old courtyard.

Helpless, Qin Jin could only assign him lighter tasks: picking small stones from the wheat, passing over the sieve, and moving the large winnowing basket. Before long, he had Ye Miao bustling about at his command.

When Wang Xiuqin awoke from her nap and saw the scene, she found it deeply amusing.

He still claimed he had no feelings for the young man, yet he could not bear to let Miao’er do even the slightest hard work. In the entire village, there was probably no one who cherished his husband so dearly except her fourth son.

She took a bolt of linen from a chest and carried it out of the room. She had originally intended to make clothes for Qin Jin from the linen she had woven the previous winter, but she had never found the time. Now that Qin Jin was married, the task could be entrusted to his husband.

Once Ye Miao received the linen, he returned home first. As soon as Qin Jin came back, he brought out a measuring tape and began taking his measurements.

Qin Jin was tall, so Ye Miao had to rise onto his toes to measure his shoulders. After measuring the front, he measured the back, then bent down and squatted to measure his waist and trouser hems. After all that activity, his cheeks were warm, and his heart felt as though a little rabbit had been tucked inside it, leaping about and leaving him both delighted and troubled.

His husband had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He was simply too handsome.

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The thoughts he had suppressed earlier rose once more.

They had been married for several days now. Surely they could not remain intimate only once.

His heart restless with anticipation, evening soon arrived. After washing up, Ye Miao lay down in Qin Jin’s arms as usual. The room was pitch-black. He held his breath and waited for a while, but before long, Qin Jin’s steady breathing sounded above him.

Qin Jin had fallen asleep.

…

Ye Miao bit his lip, frustrated and disappointed.

If only he had known, he would not have waited. He should have gone straight to removing Qin Jin’s clothes the moment the oil lamp was extinguished.

But when he thought of how tired Qin Jin had been after working all day, he listened to his breathing for a while and gradually fell asleep as well.

Never mind. Qin Jin was his husband now, after all. A few months would not make any difference.

Before he had gotten enough sleep, his body woke him by instinct. He washed up, made pea cakes, and called Qin Jin to get out of bed.

This time, Qin Jin did not refuse Ye Miao’s offer of help. A hundred and twenty pounds of tofu pudding could not possibly be transported by him alone.

The previous evening, he had already brought over the water buckets from the old courtyard. He and Zhao Feng each carried two buckets and went to the Zhang family’s home.

The moment the Zhang couple saw him, they smiled and praised him for being clever and hardworking. They also told him that from then on, he would receive a one-copper-coin discount for every ten pounds of tofu pudding he bought.

Yesterday, Qin Jin had paid a hundred and twenty copper coins, which should have bought him a hundred and twenty pounds of tofu pudding. With the new discount, he had effectively overpaid by twelve copper coins. The Zhang couple naturally did not return the money; instead, they gave him twelve extra pounds of tofu pudding.

Their attitude put Qin Jin at ease as well. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to fall out with them. It was better for everyone to cooperate and prosper together.

They were all villagers and members of the common folk. There was no need to harm one another.

The tofu pudding was carried home happily, and they immediately set to work making tofu sheets.

Although the quantity of tofu sheets doubled that day, the work was simple. They finished everything without spending much time, and it did not delay them from setting up their stall.

Of the hundred and thirty-two pounds of tofu pudding, Qin Jin sent some to the old family courtyard. There were many people there: Qin Bing and his wife had three children, and Old Qin and Wang Xiuqin lived there as well. Qin Jin carried over a large basinful.

After setting some aside for his own family, he had only a hundred and twenty pounds left to turn into tofu sheets.

Those hundred and twenty pounds of tofu pudding produced a total of twenty-six pounds of tofu sheets.

He kept one pound for the family, then took fourteen pounds of pea cakes and twenty-five pounds of tofu sheets to sell at the city gate.

When he arrived, he did as he had the day before and cut some tofu sheets into pieces for passersby to sample.

He firmly maintained his promise to spend one copper coin to add a new dish to the family table, and this attracted wave after wave of customers. Even the young stall owners selling snacks nearby could not resist coming over to buy some and broaden their horizons.

By the time the sun had climbed high into the sky, all the tofu sheets had sold out, and more than half the pea cakes were gone. The money pouch Wang Xiuqin had sewn for him had grown round and full.

He continued selling at a leisurely pace for a while longer. When only half a pound of pea cakes remained, he packed up his stall.

The tofu-sheet business truly had great potential. He would keep that half pound of pea cakes for the family as a celebration, then buy a pound of pork. He could afford to spend money now.

He had just lifted his basket and was about to leave when a somewhat familiar voice called from behind him.

“Young brother! Wait a moment.”

He stopped and looked back. It was the young husband from the previous day. Qin Jin smiled at him. “The tofu sheets are sold out. I only have half a pound of pea cakes left.”

At those words, the young man let out a disappointed cry, his face filled with regret.

If only he had come earlier. He had never expected the tofu sheets to sell so quickly.

When he had sampled them the day before, he had found the taste ordinary. But after returning to his parents’ home and mixing them with various seasonings, the flavor had improved tremendously. His younger brother had drunk half a pound of wine while eating a plate of tofu sheets dressed in chili oil alongside a dish of pork head meat.

He had originally intended to set some aside for his husband’s family, but his brother had ended up eating everything.

He had just mentioned the matter to his father-in-law, who had also become interested. That was why he had come to buy some, only to find that they were gone.

“Young brother, do you have any more tofu sheets at home?” he asked, though he did not dare hope for much.

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